Government Asked to Provide Certainty Frank La Rue Visits to Indonesia

Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion (Photo: Ist)

PAPUAN, Jakarta - KontraS, The International Coalition for Human Rights and Peace in Papua, the Franciscan International and TAPOL ask the Indonesian Government to give special attention to the statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank La Rue.
According to several NGO's, Frank La Rue had asked the Indonesian government to provide certainty visitation schedule as stated in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to-23, June 3, 2013.
"The Government of Indonesia has invited the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression is scheduled for January 2013, but was postponed for reasons not clearly known," said Haris Azhar, coordinator KontraS, in a release received suarapapua.com, Friday afternoon.
According to Haris, the official visit has been promised by the government in the Universal Periodic Review session / Universal Periodic Periodic, in March 2012.
"We consider that the official visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression urgently needed given the situation of freedom of expression in Indonesia is quite alarming."
"Legalization plan CBOs and state secrecy bill that threatens civil liberties, criminalize the parties critical of government policies, as well as violence against journalists and human rights defenders is an ongoing threat to freedom berekpsresi portrait in Indonesia," said Haris.
In addition to these things, continued Haris, other things are also the most concerned about at the moment is the situation in Papua, which seemed to increase efforts to curb freedom of expression on May 1, 2013, during the commemoration of the administrative transfer of Papua into Indonesia.
Based on data Papuan Behind Bars, security forces shot two people to death and another died in hospital, 36 people were arrested arbitrarily, and 30 of them are still detained and at risk of torture.
As of May 2013, as many as 76 political prisoners were in various LP in Papua. Some activists also still a Moluccan political prisoners.
In addition, the Government is still close access to the international community to monitor the human rights situation in Papua.
"We are again reminded that Papua is one of the priority areas to be visited by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression," said Paul Barber, Coordinator TAPOL in London.
According to Barber, the mechanism of an international procedure to be followed as a member of the UN and the government is also applicable to other UN member states.
"It is important to demonstrate the Government's commitment in fulfilling the rights of speech and expression in West Papua realize the initiative to establish a peaceful dialogue," he added.
"Open access in Papua internationally can be a positive effort to demonstrate the seriousness of the Government," he concluded.
Oktovianus POGAU
Source: http://suarapapua.com